Did you know that tendon injuries could potentially be tackled with nutritional IV therapy from Toronto?

Think of tendons as ropes for the human body. They physically connect your bones and muscles, allowing the bones to be flexible as your muscles contract and loosen. However, your tendons can become impaired from excessive use, dehydration, aging, injuries or particular health issues.

At our vitamin therapy lounge, it’s not uncommon for patients to inquire about body stress related to bone health, muscle health, and tendons. In this post, the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre explains how IV therapy and nutrition could synergistically play a role in the tendon restoration process.

Who is affected?

Tendon injuries can impede optimal functioning and can happen across all professions, from professional athletes to office administrators. Athletes frequently experience tendon injuries because some physical activities (i.e. skiing, tennis, football) require rapid directional changes or abrupt stops. Poor posture and excessive repetitive movements can also strain tendons. What’s more, if athletes don’t warm up properly, have changes to their equipment or flooring, add intensity to their training, are dehydrated, or train in cold temperatures, tendon damages can be produced.

Groundwork shows that tendons heavily rely on nutrients, especially during the process of recovery from an injury. Thus, a variety of nutrients may offer additional support compared to “single nutrient strategies,” confirms a Nutrition review. More studies are necessary, though the journal highlights these nutrients to consider for tendon injuries.

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Arginine, glutamine, leucine
• Proteins (medley of amino acids)
• Copper
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Phytochemicals (plant-based therapies, such as turmeric, curcumin, green tea extracts, various flavones, bromelain, Boswellia acid, resveratrol, among several others)

Sure, nutrition is surprising for helping to treat tendons, but what are their impacts on athletic recovery?

• Keep in mind that amino acids are known as protein building blocks in the human body. Proteins are necessary for stimulating tendon resistance and for building collagen.
• Most micronutrients help activate enzymes for optimal functioning. Zinc is a demonstration of how a micronutrient works this way; peak levels of this mineral are needed for biological processes to occur, such as tissue repair, protein turnover, and wound healing.
• Phytochemicals (i.e. curcumin) could exert anti-inflammatory effects. During a 2015 study, patients who took curcumin supplements had low pain scores post-surgery.
• According to a recent Nutrients article, “[d]egenerated tendons are a source of reactive oxygen species (ROS),” which can trigger tendon problems. But antioxidants such as vitamin C could aid in scavenging ROS. Supplementing with vitamin C by itself or in combination with other supplements could boost collagen production and help instill tendon recovery.

If you’re interested in upping nutrients to encourage mending, symptom relief, or to instigate ACE-related physical performance, we’re here for consultations. We recommend oral supplementation combined with IV therapy to increase your absorption rate; they provide a synergistic support, while bypassing possible digestive malabsorption issues. IV vitamin drip therapy (also known as IV therapy or IV therapy drips) assures you receive an ample absorption of nutrients. We carry a plethora of key ingredients to promote optimal health, such as a amino acids, vitamin C, glutamic acid, major antioxidants, and other safe ingredients.

Suggested Reading – Hydrochloric Acid for IV therapy: Our Toronto Clinic Features Its Benefits

Mastering nutritional absorption/delivery with IV infusion therapy

Intravenous infusion therapy may increase blood cell production and cellular function. It works by having you sit comfortably in a chair and then an IV drip is connected to your vein. Beneficial effects to getting IV therapy include the following:

• Increases absorption rate: Because it immediately enters the bloodstream, the nutrients are readily available for the body to absorb. You don’t need to worry about your body digesting and filtering the drip contents,
• Bypasses the digestive tract: The therapy does not affect digestion, which means you could avoid unwanted side effects that you might encounter from oral supplements (i.e. upset stomach, nausea).

At the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre, we’re taking new patients who are interested in an integrative and empowering approach to health care. Therapies may include IV vitamin drip treatments, allopathic medicine, acupuncture, herbal medicine, functional medicine treatments, Traditional Chinese Medicine, naturopathic medicine, and other modalities.

How to Get IV Vitamin Therapy from Us

Getting intravenous drips from us consists of these steps:

• Prior to your first vitamin drip therapy, an initial consultation is needed. This complete diagnostic session will deliberate on: your health goals and the combination of ingredients/amounts of nutrients you may require; any allergies to drip contents; and possibly functional medicine testing to determine nutritional deficiencies.
• After testing has been conducted and results have been analyzed, our functional medicine providers can customize your vitamin drip therapy with beneficial ingredients that pertain to your health issues.

Note: IV treatments must be conducted in-person at our clinic. Both in-person and virtual consultations are available to discuss other health concerns, such as immune function, chronic illness, thyroid conditions, degenerative disease, brain health, premature aging, blood sugar levels, removing inflammatory foods from your diet, and more.

Let’s help unlock new ways to improve your physical performance! Our health strategies might contribute to improved energy levels and optimal health. Click here to reach our IV therapy Toronto lounge.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. Consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website.

References:

Curtis L. Nutritional research may be useful in treating tendon injuries. Nutrition. 2016 Jun;32(6):617-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2015.12.039. Epub 2015 Dec 31. PMID: 26921066.

Li ZJ, Yang QQ, Zhou YL. Basic Research on Tendon Repair: Strategies, Evaluation, and Development. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021 Jul 28;8:664909. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.664909. PMID: 34395467; PMCID: PMC8359775.

Merolla G, Dellabiancia F, Ingardia A, Paladini P, Porcellini G. Co-analgesic therapy for arthroscopic supraspinatus tendon repair pain using a dietary supplement containing Boswellia serrata and Curcuma longa: a prospective randomized placebo-controlled study. Musculoskelet Surg. 2015 Sep;99 Suppl 1:S43-52. doi: 10.1007/s12306-015-0364-1. Epub 2015 May 10. PMID: 25957549.

Mueller AL, Brockmueller A, Kunnumakkara AB, Shakibaei M. Modulation of Inflammation by Plant-Derived Nutraceuticals in Tendinitis. Nutrients. 2022 May 12;14(10):2030. doi: 10.3390/nu14102030. PMID: 35631173; PMCID: PMC9143056.

Noriega-González DC, Drobnic F, Caballero-García A, Roche E, Perez-Valdecantos D, Córdova A. Effect of Vitamin C on Tendinopathy Recovery: A Scoping Review. Nutrients. 2022 Jun 27;14(13):2663. doi: 10.3390/nu14132663. PMID: 35807843; PMCID: PMC9267994.

Shah A, Amini-Nik S. The Role of Phytochemicals in the Inflammatory Phase of Wound Healing. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 May 16;18(5):1068. doi: 10.3390/ijms18051068. PMID: 28509885; PMCID: PMC5454978.

“Tendinitis” from the Mayo Clinic, updated November 3, 2020, viewed on October 18, 2022.